Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz and senior officials of his ministry attended a joint meeting of the Health Committee and the Knesset's Constitution Committee today (Monday) to discuss the state's preparations for halting the outbreak of the Omicron strain.
The health minister stressed during the hearing that "the responsibility to vaccinate the children is first and foremost on their parents" and clarified that the health ministry "can not make this decision in their place".
Minister Horowitz on the child immunization campaign: "The state can not replace the parent's responsibility towards his children" // Credit: Knesset Spokeswoman
During the discussion, Minister Horowitz clarified that there are differences in the nature of the disease because the omicron is at least twice as contagious as the delta.
"We are facing a new situation. What we knew in the delta wave is different because of the magnitude of the infection," said Minister Horowitz, adding that "the world sees Omicron gaining momentum. This requires us first and foremost to increase the immunization effort.
Dr. Sharon Elrai Price at the joint discussion of the Constitution and Health Committee, Photo: Noam Moskowitz, Spokeswoman
Minister Horowitz referred to the children's vaccination campaign and said that "unlike the start of the vaccination campaign and what we saw five months ago, we see an insufficient increase in vaccines, with several thousand a day among children. The public is not to blame, We also make the information accessible in the clearest way. The responsibility to vaccinate the children is first and foremost on their parents. We can not make this decision in their place. There is personal responsibility for people. We are not at the beginning of the corona and vaccines when people did not understand and did not know. The state cannot replace the parent's responsibility towards his children. The benefit is in preventing a serious illness which is what matters. I do not understand the difference in relation to other routine vaccines and this vaccine. "More than six million children have been vaccinated in the US and there are no significant side effects and the disease is much more dangerous. If people choose not to get vaccinated in the end it is a problem."
Minister Horowitz also referred to the information about the omicron and its morbidity he causes most of the world and said: "Infection and infection data flow from the world and in about a week we will have a good indication between verified and severely ill. See all sorts of signs, "You have to participate. You have to gather less, you have to wear a mask even without a fine or an inspector."
MK Silman at the joint discussion of the Constitution and Health Committee, Photo: Noam Moskowitz, Knesset Spokeswoman
The chairman of the health committee, MK Idit Silman, from the right, also referred to the vaccine efforts among children and emphasized that "the state of immunization has cost valuable time and we call on the public to take advantage of the time to get vaccinated. "It is critical. The State of Israel is doing this successfully and now it is our turn."
Regarding the outbreak of the corona in the Knesset and the widespread wave of isolation that followed among workers in the Mishkan, members of the Knesset and a government minister, MK Silman emphasized that "the Knesset is a model for the outbreak of the same contagious strain.
We see that there are almost 150 isolated people in the Knesset of Israel, including Knesset members.
We have witnessed in recent days a significant increase in the number of new verified in Israel, the rate of doubling is high, which in fact probably brings us to a fifth wave.
Our goal in this joint debate is on the one hand to assist and take an active part in the national effort to deal with the renewed outbreak, we do this daily in committee deliberations and approvals of various orders and restrictions at the request of the government, and our parliamentary duty is to ".
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